[Avodah] R' Nissim Karelitz's Beis Din: Kohanim cannot fly, from Ben Gurion for the next few weeks

Gil Winokur via Avodah avodah at lists.aishdas.org
Mon Oct 31 14:34:46 PDT 2016


Does anyone have any specific aviation technical information regarding 
the change at Ben Gurion airport that triggered the ruling?  Any change 
in flight path or runway use must be reflected in a NOTAM [Notice to 
Airmen] and would involve one or more specific SID [Standard Instrument 
Departure] procedures.
A list of departure charts can be found at 
http://en.caa.gov.il/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=414&Itemid=278 

Active NOTAMS can be found at 
http://en.caa.gov.il/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=468&Itemid=331
Can anyone provide a NOTAM number and the affected SID?  As I read the 
active NOTAMS,   the only matching one is A0734/16, which reads as follows:
A0734/16 1611010001 to 1611172159 RWY INT 08/12 CLSD, DUE WIP. RWY 21
AVBL FOR LDG AND TKOF. RWY 12 AVBL FOR TKOF FM W4.
Simply put, because of construction, the intersection of runways 8 and 
12 is closed.  That also closes runway 26 (facing west) which includes 
that intersection to be closed, forcing all takeoffs to be from runways 
12 or 21.
Runway 21's SID is known as PURLA 1G, and takes aircraft over a point 
"SIX" at 31° 59’ 38” N  034° 46’ 19” E and then on a heading of 282° 
which runs right over the middle of the Holon cemetery.
What puzzles me is that the MERVA departure from runway 26 does the same 
thing.  Runway 12 which is still open has a SOLIN SID that avoids the 
area entirely.

AIUI, kohanim currently fly based on a safek over which runway/SID will 
be used.  If so, it appears that safek is still in place as there is 
still an open runway with a departure route that avoids the area.
Also, as R' Mike Miller noted, large aircraft don't turn on a dime and 
there should also be a safek as to whether any given airplane will 
actually pass over the Holon cemetery or will miss it.

So what changed that resulted in this psak being issued?
-- 
Gil Winokur
gilwinokur at usa.net



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